The Service Designer's discreet skill is courage.
Courage is our primary quality, and through it, we develop other essential skills and abilities.
Being a Latin woman from the global south, working and studying in Europe takes a lot of courage. During my career in Service Design, I heard a lot about being innovative, a problem solver, being okay with complexity, and so on. All these skills and abilities are necessary for our job, but no one talks about courage.
Courage is a skill that gets little mention but is essential to our career growth. While courage alone may not be the sole primary skill, it does play a significant role in enabling other qualities and abilities to flourish in service design.
How often do you feel afraid of something?
I was afraid of making mistakes. Even if I know that we learn by doing and making mistakes helps us grow and learn from them, God knows how scared and frightened I was of being a failure. But I followed my goals anyway. Contrary to popular belief, courage is not the absence of fear. Instead, it is taking action and proceeding forward despite fear.
Courage helped me to step beyond my comfort zone. It gave me other perspectives. I could expand my experiences, which has helped me to be more adaptable and resilient.
Why does a Service Designer need to be brave?
Courage is valuable for a service designer because it enables us to challenge assumptions, embrace complexity, prioritize users, take risks, face resistance and address ethical dilemmas. These skills may not directly relate to courage in the traditional sense. Instead, they are often associated with other important characteristics and abilities of a service designer, such as critical thinking, empathy, communication, and ethical considerations.
However, being brave can enhance our effectiveness by reinforcing and amplifying skills and qualities associated with our profession. Courage combined with these skills can result in more impactful and transformative service design outcomes.
Courage is what moves you forward. The skills of a service designer powered by courage can be:
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Courage encourages service designers to question assumptions, challenge conventional thinking, and explore unconventional solutions. It enables us to approach complex problems with an open mind, unafraid of tackling difficult or unfamiliar issues, which can lead to more innovative and effective solutions.
Empathy: Courage allows us to engage with users and stakeholders more deeply. It empowers us to ask difficult questions, delve into sensitive issues, and actively listen to diverse perspectives. You have to be brave to put yourself in other people’s shoes.
Communication: Courage plays a role in effective communication. It helps us confidently present our ideas, persuade stakeholders, and advocate for user needs.
Risk-Taking: This risk-taking can lead to breakthrough innovations and improvements in services.
Iterative Process: Courage supports a willingness to iterate and refine designs, even when it means acknowledging flaws or setbacks. Service designers brave enough to accept feedback and re-do their work can create more effective and user-friendly services.
Embracing Change: Change can face some resistance from organizations and users. We need the courage to embrace and advocate for changes that may initially face opposition.
Handling Feedback: Being brave means being open to constructive criticism, learning from it, and using it to iterate and improve the design.
Persevering Through Challenges: Design projects can be challenging and may encounter setbacks. Courage is needed to persevere in the face of obstacles and adapt to changing circumstances.
But how to be brave?
Knowledge. Be aware of your fears and limitations.
We all have heard the phrase ‘knowledge is power,’ often to the point where it seems like a cliche. Do you know how to make better use of it?
Share.
Sharing knowledge can create a powerful dynamic between you and others. Sharing your vulnerabilities and challenges can be a catalyst for personal growth. It encourages self-reflection and self-awareness, which are essential for personal development. By recognizing your areas for improvement, you can set goals and take steps to grow and evolve as an individual.
Acknowledging your limitations and fears is an essential step in building resilience. It allows you to confront these challenges directly and work on strategies to overcome them. Over time, this process can make you more resilient and better equipped to handle adversity and uncertainty.
Lastly, sharing your knowledge of limitations and fears can strengthen your problem-solving skills. Discussing your challenges with others can lead to valuable insights and advice.
But please do not forget: to share your limitations, you need to be brave.
